Mammalian bone tissue is known to contain one or more proteinaceous materials, presumably active during growth and natural bone healing that can induce a developmental cascade of cellular events resulting in endochondral bone formation. Various factors are present in bone. These include bone morphogenetic or morphogenic proteins (BMPs), bone inductive proteins, bone growth or growth factors, osteogenic proteins, or osteoinductive proteins. While these factors have different effects and functions, as discussed herein, these will be referred to collectively herein as osteoinductive factors.
It is known that bone contains osteoinductive factors. These osteoinductive factors are present within the compound structure of cortical bone and are present at very low concentrations, for example, 0.003%. Osteoinductive factors direct the differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into osteoprogenitor cells that form osteoblasts. Proper demineralization of cortical bone exposes the osteoinductive factors, rendering it osteoinductive.
The rapid and effective repair of bone defects caused by injury, disease, wounds, or surgery has long been a goal of orthopaedic surgery. Toward this end, a number of compositions and materials have been used or proposed for use in the repair of bone defects. The biological, physical, and mechanical properties of the compositions and materials are among the major factors influencing their suitability and performance in various orthopaedic applications.
Autologous cancellous bone (“ACB”) long has been considered the gold standard for bone grafts. ACB includes osteogenic cells, which have the potential to assist in bone healing, is nonimmunogenic, and has structural and functional characteristics that should be appropriate for a healthy recipient. Some people do not have adequate amounts of ACB for harvesting. These people include, for example, older people and people who have had pervious surgeries. A majority of people however do have adequate amounts of ACB for harvesting. There may nevertheless be reluctance to harvest because of pain at the harvest site and potential donor site morbidity.
Conventionally, bone tissue regeneration is achieved by filling a bone repair site with a bone graft. Over time, the bone graft is incorporated by the host and new bone remodels the bone graft. In order to place the bone graft, it is common to use a monolithic bone graft or to form an osteoimplant comprising particulated bone in a carrier. The carrier is thus chosen to be biocompatible, to be resorbable, and to have release characteristics such that the bone graft is accessible.
The rapid and effective repair of bone defects caused by injury, disease, wounds, or surgery is a goal of orthopedic surgery. Toward this end, a number of compositions and materials have been used or proposed for use in the repair of bone defects. The biological, physical, and mechanical properties of the compositions and materials are among the major factors influencing their suitability and performance in various orthopedic applications.
Bone-related disorders are characterized by bone loss resulting from an imbalance between bone resorption and bone formation. Throughout life, there is a constant remodeling of skeletal bone. In this remodeling process, there is a delicate balance between bone resorption by osteoclasts and subsequent restoration by osteoblasts. Osteoblasts, involved in both endochondral and intramembraneous ossification, are the specialized cells in bone tissue that make matrix proteins resulting in the formation of new bone. Bone formation, i.e. osteogenesis, is essential for the maintenance of bone mass in the skeleton. Unlike osteoblasts, osteoclasts are associated with bone resorption and removal. In normal bone, the balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption is maintained through complex regulated interactions.
Bone grafting is used to repair bone voids that are extremely complex, pose a significant health risk to the patient, or fail to heal properly. This is done with materials either from the patient's own body or by using an artificial, synthetic, or natural substitute. Demineralized bone matrix (DBM) based materials are commonly used in these procedures to substitute for, or extend the volume of, autograft and local bone. Thus, demineralized bone matrix (“DBM”) implants have been reported to be particularly useful. Demineralized bone matrix is typically derived from cadavers. The bone is removed aseptically and/or treated to kill any infectious agents. The bone is then particulated by milling or grinding and then the mineral components are extracted for example, by soaking the bone in an acidic solution.
Some DBM formulations have various drawbacks. For example, while the collagen-based matrix of DBM is relatively stable, the active factors within the DBM matrix are rapidly degraded. The osteogenic activity of the DBM may be significantly degraded within 24 hours after implantation, and in some instances the osteogenic activity may be inactivated within 6 hours. Therefore, the factors associated with the DBM are only available to recruit cells to the site of injury for a short time after transplantation. For much of the healing process, which may take weeks to months, the implanted material may provide little or no assistance in recruiting cells.
It has also been found that when bone implants contain a mixture of fibers and surface demineralized cortical bone chips, such implants remodel very slowly. In manufacturing a mixture of bone fiber and bone chips, two separate processes are usually required while the yield of harvested bone chips is frequently lower since they are obtained from different bone sites. Moreover, bone harvesting from different sites may also result in cross contamination.
Thus, it would be useful to develop compositions and methods of hastening and increasing bone remodeling, which avoid cross contamination, provide an increased yield of harvested bone, all in one simple process.